This is a really good question Rick, and perhaps one of the more puzzling matters in the history of keris development. I know it is something that I myself have often thought upon.
I do not believe that the reason for the methuk was to secure the gonjo, rather I feel that that it was to provide a base for the hilt and to allow spacing to achieve the desired grip.However, having said that, I must admit that I am only theorising, as I have never had an old keris buda apart to see exactly how the methuk and gonjo are fixed. Since keris buda are nearly always in excavated condition when you meet with them, disassembly is not really an option.
As to when the mendak replaced the methuk, I think we would probably have to begin to answer this question by careful inspection of the early keris that we find in European collections, the sort of thing that we see in Jensen's published works. I can't determine what I'm looking at from the pictures, so it would be necessary to visit the exhibits in person and make a determination.
Does anybody here live close to any of the places identified as holding these early keris?
It would be a very worthwhile exercise to go and inspect them.
I have a personal belief that there was a transition from the methuk to the modern decorative mendak by way of cast bronze mendaks. I have a number of these, and when I get some decent light here --- wet at the moment where I live --- I'll photograph and post the images.
Gustav, this theory of keris being interchangeable as spear heads is an old one, but it does not stand. I have not ever seen a keris blade in a spear shaft in any carving on any candi. This does not mean it did not happen, but there is no evidence that it did.
In historic times it is virtually certain that the keris was never used as a spear.
Secondly, the tang of a spear needs to be very long, in order to resist the much greater forces that apply to a spear blade. The short tang of keris does not provide the necessary support to allow it to function as a spear head.
There are two possible reasons for a square or rectangular tang:- firstly, a square tang is much easier and more economic to forge; secondly a square tang prevents a hilt from turning. It appears that keris buda were used with totally different grips than are used with the modern keris, and used with an overhand grip, rather than with a rapier grip. Prevention of the grip turning would be a distinct advantage for a dagger used in this way.
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